Ebay question
Here is a question for you chaps
I bought a small bundle of Atari retro goodness on ebay recently, for an amount of cash plus ?2.50 postage.
When I got it I noticed that they packaged it in a way that sellotape was directly on some of the boxes, causing some of the "paint" to lift away when removed. Most annoying as I collect good condition boxes. Also, despite advertised as complete, one of the games was missing instructions.
I asked to return and after initial denial that they said they were all complete they re-read the ad and admitted they had said so. They asked me to send it back 2nd class to reduce postage costs. They said they would refund the original paypal payment, plus my return postage costs.
I sent it back, it cost ?5 second class.
Now they have refunded me but say they will not refund me more than It cost them to send so they refunded me the original payment plus 2.50.
Now it is only ?2.50 and half of me says not to bother but I am annoyed to lose money on something that was completely their fault.
When I sell I refund completely and very often just tell them to keep the item to boot!
What do you chaps think? again it is not the ?2.50 but the principle...
I bought a small bundle of Atari retro goodness on ebay recently, for an amount of cash plus ?2.50 postage.
When I got it I noticed that they packaged it in a way that sellotape was directly on some of the boxes, causing some of the "paint" to lift away when removed. Most annoying as I collect good condition boxes. Also, despite advertised as complete, one of the games was missing instructions.
I asked to return and after initial denial that they said they were all complete they re-read the ad and admitted they had said so. They asked me to send it back 2nd class to reduce postage costs. They said they would refund the original paypal payment, plus my return postage costs.
I sent it back, it cost ?5 second class.
Now they have refunded me but say they will not refund me more than It cost them to send so they refunded me the original payment plus 2.50.
Now it is only ?2.50 and half of me says not to bother but I am annoyed to lose money on something that was completely their fault.
When I sell I refund completely and very often just tell them to keep the item to boot!
What do you chaps think? again it is not the ?2.50 but the principle...
Post edited by scunny on
Comments
Sellers on Ebay are mainly amateurs and I always half expect stuff to be different than the advert based on the pure ignorance of the seller on the subject matter.
The sellotape on the box is a classic example of that ignorance, they think it's just a box and not important.
If I buy a boxed Item I always drop the seller a note to ask them not to do things like that before they ship it.
postage seems to be the common thing / scam with ebay alas.. dunno if you saw the recent thread on here about the music keyboard ?
I'd contact ebay.. BUT whenever the rare time I will send something back I will get them to agree to pay the return postage before hand.. if not I will open a case.
e.g.the common scam I got > cheap mobile charger.. sent the wrong one, cost ?1.50 inc. postage.. they refused to pay return postage.. so I let ebay decide as it was THEIR fault for sending the wrong thing = got my money back in full.
I'd contact ebay.. let them deal with it.. your out of pocket.. for eerrr nothing.
sadly the other thing to be wary of is combined postage.. e.g. 2 items cost ?2.20+ used envelope .. this diddy charged ?8.. gave me ?1 discount!! .. so I hammered their feedback as a result as sure add ?1-2, but that was a joke.
It turned out the seller thought a paper thin extra large envelope would be adequate protection for the 15+ jewel cases but the stiff corners had ripped open the envelope and spewed all the cases all over the back of the post van. Most of the cases that had fell out were broken at the hinges. Id lost a couple of games also although i cant 100% be sure that the seller couldn't fit them in the envelope and just didn't bother sending them as teh envelope was fit to burst as it was.
I emailed the seller to inform him that his poor packaging was inadequate and games were missing but he never replied back so i gave him a negative after a month of no reply.
this was on the other night, will watch it. explain how the c***s at a courier damaged my rare cpc+ monitor, even though it was VERY well packed.
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/4od#3516583
Definitely let it go. Its a cliche but life's too short to be bothered about this sort of small change argument with someone you'll never deal with again.
By the time you've faffed around with this you could have done something that will bring you far more fulfilment and value than getting ?2.50 back from someone who cared less about clean boxes than you do.
.
I forget the number of times ive bought stuff off ebay and they have been awfully packed.
Couple of examples being:
A scarer coin sellotaped to a cigarette packet (for those who have no clue, sellotape on coins is a absolute must not do, and can turn something worth ?xxxx's into less than buggery.
A rare (but not valuable) paperback I wanted as a 1st edition, - first he rips off a old price ticket (which was shown on the ebay photo) and ruining the back cover lamination, then just slapped it in a envelope, and then the fkitt wrote my name and address on the outside with a hard biro (you can guess the result).
As a rule, I don't buy from anyone on ebay with under a 120 or so # of feedbacks, and 98.5% positives (that odd % could always come from a muppet buyer...)
anyone not meeting my personal level, but has something I want, then I risk it with full knowledge, and expectations that what I win may not be quite the condition as advertised
Yeah if it was just the sellotape damage I wouldn't have bothered sending it back, but one of the games was missing instructions so that is the main reason I sent them back.
I try to do this, but as it is old boxed Atari games I am collecting I find I cannot be as fussy, and when one comes up that looks in cracking condition I will go for it as it may not come up again in good nick.. which all makes it even more heartbreaking when they send me something and then sellotape over it!
I had one the other day, 30 year old Atari game sent in plain brown envelope, not even padded. I negged him when he ignored my mail.
which is the angle I took. I had one earlier with a tape problem, but instead of asking me about it straight away opened a case!!!.. anyway resolved now.
my fav one , was the 1 who bought 3*48k only games, then sl*gged me off saying they didn't work.. told them to try em in 48k.. and as if by magic.. it was ODD that she'd picked ALL 3 games that didn't like +2's
I have had to go thru the process of going for lost post / lost courier deliveries etc.. so time consuming for something that in reality isn't worth that much..